Machine for folding over each other portions of a sleeve of flexible material such as rubber fabric



N. NEBOUT Oct. 27, 1964 3,154,455 MACHINE FOR FOLDING OVER EACH OTHER PORTIONS OF A SLEEVE OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL SUCH AS RUBBER FABRIC Filed June 12, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IIHIH Oct. 27, 1964 ou-r MACHINE FOR FOLDING ovER EACH OTHER PORTIGNS OF A SLEEVE 0F FLEXIBLE MATERIAL SUCH AS RUBBER FABRIC Filed June 12, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H M V 0 f m n S e 9w b N NJ I NI N i I I i I I I I I United States Patent 3,154,455 MACHINE FGR FQLDING OVER EACH OTHER PORTTUNS (PF A SLEEVE 0F FLEXIBLE MATE- REAL SUCH A RUBBER FABRIC Noel Nebont, Montlucon, Allier, France, assignor to Societe Anonyme des Pneumatiques Dunlap, Paris, France, a company of France Filed June 12, W62, Ser. No. 201,907 Claims priority, application France, June 15, 1961, 865,059 4 Claims. (Cl. 156-443) The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of certain types of pneumatic tyres utilizing stiffening pieces consisting of rubber-fabric sleeves, portions of which are folded over each other, along a circumferential line and more particularly to a machine adapted to perform this folding operation in a substantially fast and accurate manner.

The machine according to the invention comprises essentially a cylindrical carrier surface consisting of a ring and of an inflatable and deformable chamber or envelope, arranged in axial relationship in continuation to one another, the sleeve to be folded over being placed partly on the ring and partly on said envelope, said ring having a peripheral suction area along its edge adjacent to the envelope, so that the sleeve may be fixedly maintained therein, means being provided for inflating the envelope and deforming it progressively by driving it axially above the ring, thus causing the portion of the sleeve located above said envelope to be folded over the portion of said sleeve fixedly maintained on the ring.

The carrier ring is preferably of rubber or any other similar material, and said ring, as well as the envelope, are arranged on a frame structure the diameter of which may be varied so that the positioning and the removal of the sleeve should be readily effected.

The invention will be best understood, as to its organization and operation with further objects and advantages thereof, by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational, partly cross-sectional view of a sleeve folded over according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, longitudinal cross-sectional view of a machine according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line IlIIII of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 through 6 are partial diagrammatic longitudinal sectional views illustrating the operation of the machine, and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view, at an enlarged scale, of a detail of the machine illustrated in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a sleeve member 1 a portion P of which has been folded over the remaining portion P along a circumferential line L.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 through 7, the machine is shown as comprising a cylindrical drum 2 secured, through radially extending arms 3 and a hub 4 (see FIG. 3), to the end of a longitudinal shaft 5. This shaft is journalled, at its other end, in a bearing 6 of a base 7.

Placed on the cylindrical surface of drum 2, adjacent and at a distance from each other, are inflatable peripheral envelopes or bags 3 of rubber or other resilient material, having manifold connection pipes 9 extending through opening it and through the wall of said drum 2, said pipes being connected together by a pipe 11. Pipe 11 is, in turn, connected through a hose pipe 12 to a duct 13 formed in hub 4 and communicating with a further duct 14 bored in shaft 5. Duct 14 leads to a peripheral groove 15 in bearing 6, which, in turn, connects, via a piping 16, a compressed-air distributor 17. Gaskets 18 are fitted 3,l54,455 Patented Oct. 27, 1964 ice in slots 19 in the bore of the bearing, to provide a tight joint with shaft 5.

Arranged all around said bags 8 are partially cylindrically-shaped staves or bars 24), having a length slightly greater than that of drum 2 and a width such that these staves may be brought as close as possible to the drum surface upon the bags 8 being deflated. The ends 23a of staves 20 are engaged in U-shaped shields 24 secured on both sides of drum 2, thus allowing said staves a certain amount of free movement in the radial direction.

External ribs 25 are shown to be formed on said staves 26) to provide a cylindrical housing 26 adapted to accommodate, on one side thereof, a cylindrical rubber ring 27 which lines up nearly half of said housing, the diameter of said ring being such that the ring will still remain spanned when bags 8 are in a deflated condition.

As shown in FIG. 7, ring 27 carries parallel, peripheral slots 2% along its slightly slanted, rounded-off edge 28, these slots 29 communicating, through ducts 30, with a pipe 31 which traverses both the corresponding stave and the drum wall wherein it is slidably mounted. Pipe 31 is connected to a hose pipe 32 which, in turn, is linked to a duct 33 in hub 4. Said duct 33 communicates with duct 34 formed in shaft 5 and which leads to a groove 35 in bearing 6 and is connected, by a duct 36, to a distributor 37 connected to vacuum supply (not illustrated in the drawing). Gaskets 18 provide a tight joint with shaft 5, as with groove 16.

On the opposite side of housing 26 there is provided another rubber ring 38, less thick than ring 27, the width of which is such that there subsists, between both rings, a space 39 adapted to accommodate the flange or bead of an inner tube 41. The shape of said inner tube is such that when the latter is not inflated, it covers up ring 38 substantially extending, by the outer surface thereof, that of ring 2'7.

Inner tube 41 is connected, through socket 42, to a pipe 43 which traverses the corresponding stave 20 as well as the wall of drum 2 wherein it is slidably mounted, to connect up to a hose pipe 44.

Said pipe 44 communicates with duct 45 in hub 4, said duct being extended by a further duct 46 formed in shaft 5 and leading to a groove 47 in bearing 6. This groove leads, through a duct 48, into a compressed-air distributor 49.

Co-axially with drum 2, there is mounted on shaft 5 a bell 50 adapted to be slidably moved along said shaft in both directions by means of a double-acting piston and cylinder unit 51 controlled by a distributor 52.

The cylindrically-shaped skirt 53 of bell 50 has an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of ring 27, as the staves 20 are driven home by the bags 8, towards the outside. The inner edge 54 of the skirt is rounded-off.

The machine described hereinabove operates as follows:

The bags 8 being in a deflated state, the sleeve 1 to be folded over is placed on drum 2, partly on ring 27 and partly on the inner tube 41. The width or position of the sleeve is such that its portion P which it is to be folded as shown in FIG. 1, does not cover up completely the inner tube 41. The bags 8 are then inflated, actuating the distributor 17 in order to cause the staves 20 to abut against the external ribs of shields 24.

The various elements of the machine occupy the position illustrated in FIG. 2; the free end of the skirt 53 of the bell 5t) surrounding the right-hand portion of inner tube 41.

After operating the distributor 37 so as to have the required depression prevail in recesses 29 for sleeve 1 to be maintained in position on ring 27, the inner tube is inflated by actuating the distributor 49. As shown in FIG.

4, the inflation causes the inner chamber to be deformed, and present before the edge 54 of skirt 53, a kind of blown-up peripheral portion 55 wherewith the portion P of sleeve 1 is raised.

The piston and cylinder unit 51 is then actuated by means of distributor 52 so as to move the bell 50 towards the left-hand side (as seen in the drawing).

As a result of this shifting of the bell, inner tube 41 is driven up and above ring 27 on which it is caused to progressively roll along, folding over the portion P of the sleeve on portion P (FIGS. 5 and 6). The folding line L is thus accurately defined, since the sleeve is strongly sucked up through the slots 29.

The bell 50 is then returned into its starting position by reversing the distributor 52, enabling the inner tube 41 to be restored to the position it occupied in FIG. 4; the inner tube is deflated for the bags 8 and the sleeve 1 may then be removed. The machine is then ready for a new cycle of operations.

It is to be understood that modifications may occur to those skilled in the art: it is therefore intended to cover any such modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention by the herein appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for folding over each other portions of a sleeve of a flexible material such as a rubber fabric, essentially comprising a cylindrical carrier surface consisting of a ring, and a deformable and inflatable chamber arranged in continuation to one another in axial relationship, the sleeve to be folded over being placed partly on the ring and partly on said chamber, said ring having a peripheral suction area along its edge adjacent to the chamber so that the sleeve may be fixedly maintained thereon, means being provided for inflating the chamber and deforming the same progressively by driving it above the ring, thus causing the portion of the sleeve located above said chamber to be folded over the portion of the sleeve fixedly maintained on the ring.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the suction area of the ring includes circumferential slots connected through ducts to a source of vacuum.

3. A machine for folding over against each other portions of a sleeve of a flexible material such as a rubber fabric, comprising in combination a cylindrical drum; a first ring of resilient material surrounding a part of the lateral surface of said drum, a second ring of resilient material surrounding another part of said lateral surface at an axial distance from said first ring, means on said drum for equally and simultaneously radially expanding said rings, said first ring being provided, along its edge adjacent the second ring, with a pair of circumferential grooves and with ducts establishing communication between said grooves and a source of vacuum, said second ring having a thickness lesser than the thickness of said first ring; a deformable and inflatable chamber having a bead portion located between said first and second rings and a remaining portion surrounding said second ring when noninflated, the external diameter of said chamber in its deflated condition being substantially equal to the external diameter of said first ring, means for inflating said chamber and means for deforming said chamber by shifting portions thereof axially over said first ring.

4. A machine for folding over each other portions of a sleeve of flexible material such as rubber fabric comprising in combination: a frame, a shaft horizontally mounted on said frame and provided with at least three longitudinal ducts, means for connecting one of said duets with a source of vacuum and the other duets with sources of fluid under pressure; a drum mounted on said shaft, 21 pair of inflatable chambers mounted side by side around the outer periphery of said drum, means for connecting said chambers with one of said other ducts, a pair of relatively axially spaced annular retaining elements fitted to said drum at both ends of it and having outer diameters greater than that of said drum, longitudinal members disposed in cylindrical formation about said chambers between said retaining elements, said retaining elements having portions for engaging and uniformly limiting the radial expansion of said longitudinal members at their opposite axial ends, incident to inflation of said chambers; a first ring of resilient material mounted around a part of said longitudinal members for radial expansion therewith, a second ring of resilient material mounted around another part of said longitudinal members for radial expansion equally and simultaneously with the first ring and at a distance from said first ring, said first ring being provided along its edge adjacent said second ring with a pair of circumferential grooves communicating with said duct connected to said source of vacuum, said second ring having a thickness lesser than that of said first ring; a deformable and inflatable chamber mounted around said longitudinal members and having a bead portion located between said first and second rings and a remaining portion surrounding said second ring when noninflated, the external diameter of said chamber when noninflated being substantially equal to the external diameter of said first ring; means for connecting said deformable and inflatable chamber with another one of said other ducts; a hollow cylindrical element slidably mounted on said shaft on the same side of said drum as said inflatable and deformable chamber, said hollow element having an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of said inflatable and deformable chamber, and means between said frame and said hollow element for shifting said element into axially overlapping relation with and concentrically to said drum.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,458,732 Sloper June 12, 1923 1,938,787 Abbott Dec. 12, 1933 2,943,668 Trevaskis et al July 5, 1960 2,962,083 Hasselquist Nov. 29, 1960 3,011,540 Vanzo et a1. Dec. 5, 1961 3,078,204 Appleby Feb. 19, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 800,582 Great Britain Aug. 27, 1958 

1. A MACHINE FOR FOLDING OVER EACH OTHER PORTIONS OF A SLEEVE OF A FLEXIBLE MATERIAL SUCH AS A RUBBER FABRIC, ESSENTIALLY COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL CARRIER SURFACE CONSISTING OF A RING, AND A DEFORMABLE AND INFLATABLE CHAMBER ARRANGED IN CONTINUATION TO ONE ANOTHER IN AXIAL RELATIONSHIP, THE SLEEVE TO BE FOLDED OVER BEING PLACED PARTLY ON THE RING AND PARTLY ON SAID CHAMBER, SAID RING HAVING A PERIPHERAL SUCTION AREA ALONG ITS EDGE ADJACENT TO THE CHAMBER SO THAT THE SLEEVE MAY BE FIXEDLY MAINTAINED THEREON, MEANS BEING PROVIDED FOR INFLATING THE CHAMBER AND DEFORMING THE SME PROGRESSIVELY BY DRIVING IT ABOVE THE RING, THUS CAUSING THE PORTION OF THE SLEEVE LOCATED ABOVE SAID CHAMBER TO BE FOLDED OVER THE PORTION OF THE SLEEVE FIXEDLY MAINTAINED ON THE RING. 